Before We Go Our Separate Ways
by dedic8ted
Summary: Twenty drabbles depicting Ryan and Kelsi's lives from kindergarten to the summer before college from JDPhoenix's prompts in Ryelsi Fans on LJ. Prequel to Only You.
1. Friends

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.**

**Prompt: Friends**

**Word Count: 150**

...

It was the beginning of the first week of kindergarten in Albuquerque Elementary, and four-year-old Ryan Evans was situated at the crayon table in Mrs. Shriver's room. He listened disinterestedly as Sharpay bragged about life in Rhode Island to some girls and a group of boys his age bounced a ball around. Sighing, he reached for an orange crayon to finish coloring his picture, but came into contact with… another hand?

"Hi!" he chirped. Mommy had always said the best way to meet new people was to be nice.

The girl blushed and squeaked a "hello" back. Ryan grinned and thought with childish naïveté that they were going to be friends—his very first one besides Sharpay—and would be for ever and ever, even when they were Mommy and Daddy's age.

But he was in kindergarten, and he didn't know then that friends weren't always for ever and ever.


	2. Dare

**Prompt: Dare**

**Word Count: 150**

**AN: When I was in 5th grade, we had this D.A.R.E. program in class... I don't know if anyone else did or if it's only in California or something, but it was basically just drug ed.**

...

Dare

"Drug. Abuse. Resistance. Education," the fifth-grade class chanted with their teacher during their weekly D.A.R.E. lesson. "Just say no to drinks."

"Good, everyone. Now let's watch the video and discuss what we've learned after," Ms. Cummings pressed play on her remote. The VCR crackled to life, and the class watched as a boy got drunk at a party and crashed into a tree on his way home. The ambulance sirens were blaring on the screen when Ryan noticed that one of his classmates in particular was trembling in her seat.

"What's wrong, Kelsi?" he whispered, gently touching her arm.

"I'm scared." She hugged her knees to her chest fearfully.

"It's okay," he said soothingly, patting her back. And when she leaned against him and clutched his arm at the gory parts of the video, he couldn't help but smile and think that maybe D.A.R.E. class wasn't so bad after all.


	3. Secrets

**Prompt: Secrets**

**Word Count: 150**

...

Ryan believed his sister held the secrets of the universe. Well, not the universe, maybe, but at least sixth grade. It seemed like as soon as summer vacation ended, invisible lines were drawn between groups. Sharpay never talked to Taylor or Martha anymore and became best friends with Courtney Bauer, who she'd never acknowledged before. Suddenly middle school was all about popularity and wearing the right clothes and saying the right things. It was like no one cared about the inside any longer.

Sharpay had said the Evanses were, naturally, better than everyone else—including Kelsi. So somehow Kelsi was no longer a friend, just another girl lower than they were. Ryan hoped that maybe, just maybe, after sixth grade someone would come and mess things up, destroy all those secrets and invisible lines, and he and Kelsi could talk again.

Because he was too scared to do it himself.


	4. Youth

**Prompt: Youth**

**Word Count: 100**

**AN: The last few have been in Ryan's POV, so I thought it would be nice to do Kelsi's for a change.**

...

People always said that you were only young once. So why was Kelsi at home on Friday night while the rest of the eighth-grade class was at the dance?

She supposed it was because she didn't want to see Ryan Evans with there anyone. And he was such a good dancer that he was sure to dance with _someone_.

She was secretly ecstatic when Sharpay told the entire school Monday that Ryan had been sick over the weekend and couldn't go to the dance, even though she felt guilty for wishing him ill.

After all, you were only young once.


	5. Patience

**Prompt: Patience**

**Word Count: 100**

...

Kelsi discovered that it took a lot of patience when one was dealing with Sharpay Evans. It was always, "Transpose this," "Change that," "Up the tempo," "Make it louder." It was especially hard if one was the only pianist in the Drama Club.

Sure, they were only freshmen, but Sharpay was hard to refuse. Even Ryan was intimidated by his sister to some degree. And while he and Kelsi didn't exactly talk much anymore, it felt good to have something in common: Sharpay. That, and the hat thing.

Besides, Kelsi believed in karma. Her patience would eventually pay off somehow.


	6. Routine

**Prompt: Routine**

**Word Count: 150**

**AN: I'm going on vacation for a week, so the next update won't be until Sunday or Monday... in the meantime, enjoy!**

...

"Ah five, ah six, ah five, six, seven, eight!" Sharpay called to the beat of the music. "Kick ball change, tango and twirl, left arm—_Ryan!_ Are you even paying attention?"

"What?" Ryan asked, snapping out of the glazed stare Sharpay had noticed came all too often when he was around a certain petite brunette. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"We've been through this routine twenty-three times," Sharpay said, sighing. "It's been practically two hours. Kelsi, start from measure four again."

Ryan offered the pianist an apologetic smile and shrugged. He'd missed the beat on purpose so Kelsi would start from the beginning, then he'd make another wrong step, and Sharpay would tell the composer to play it again. And so on and so forth. This way, when he messed up the routine, she'd stay a little longer each time.

Who said Sharpay was the only scheming Evans twin?


	7. Smile

**Prompt: Smile**

**Word Count: 100**

**AN: I'm back from Lake Tahoe! The snow was awesome, but my legs are kinda sore from skiing now...**

...

"They're the nicest kids in town!" Ryan sang, finishing his song for the Spring Musical auditions. They were doing _Hairspray_, and the smile on his face was enough to light up the entire room.

"Wonderful, Ryan," Ms. Darbus said, sighing contentedly. "Simply wonderful." And with that, Kelsi knew, without a doubt, Ryan had the part of Corny Collins in the bag. Kelsi, Sharpay, and Ryan were the only freshmen in the Drama Club, but already the latter two had come and conquered.

Then again, Kelsi thought, glancing once more at the megawatt smile still on Ryan's face, he was _good_.


	8. Dependence

**Prompt: Dependence**

**Word Count: 150**

**AN: I was wondering why Ryan was acting the way he did in the first movie... and this is the result.**

...

No one knew how much Ryan and Sharpay depended on theater. It was what they were good at, their domain, their entire world. Especially junior year. Junior year was a time where most should have been studying for SATs, but Ryan and Sharpay were too busy rehearsing.

They had talent agents and college scouts coming to see them in _Twinkle Towne_, and their parents were even cutting their trip to Tahiti short. The twins never thought they would ever have any competition—they'd starred in seventeen school productions, so why should their eighteenth be any different?

So when Ryan realized that Kelsi had joined Troy and Gabriella's side, he was torn. Yes, he and Kelsi had drifted apart and nowadays only talked when necessary, but he never thought that she'd dare defy Sharpay.

He wondered which was stronger: his crush on Kelsi or his possible future.

He chose his future.


	9. Test

**Prompt: Test**

**Word Count: 200**

**AN: Wow, my longest drabble so far! I don't like Jelsi, but I just couldn't bash Jason... I hope this is okay, though. There's a little implied Jartha, if you squint. Enjoy!**

...

It was just a test, Ryan told himself in the gym, as he watched Jason help Kelsi make a free throw. Just a test to prove how patient he was for Kelsi to realize that it was him, not Jason, she wanted to be with.

"You like her," Martha stated from behind him. Ryan wondered why the braniac-turned-hip-hopper was even talking to him. Didn't she remember how Sharpay had mercilessly made fun of her weight before?

"Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"A little." She shrugged. "But," Martha said, casting another glance at the aforementioned couple, "they weren't meant to be together anyway."

It was just a test, Kelsi told herself at the game after-party, as she watched Ryan smile at what Martha had to say. Just a test to prove how patient she was for Ryan to realize that it was her, not Martha, he wanted to be with.

"You like him," Jason observed. He didn't look like it bothered him much, even if he was Kelsi's official date for the evening.

"Is it that obvious?" Kelsi blushed. Maybe Jason wasn't as clueless as he seemed.

"A little," he said honestly. "But they weren't meant to be together anyway."


	10. GreenEyed Monster

**Prompt: Green-Eyed Monster**

**Word Count: 100**

**AN: My inspiration for this sort of came from this fic called _So, What's Stopping You Now?_ It's Ryelsi and Troyella with Ryella friendship; you guys should check it out!**

...

Ryan was insanely jealous of Troy Bolton. Who wasn't, right? Every guy who knew him wanted to be him. But Ryan was pretty happy about who he was—he had no intention of becoming a basketball-playing jock.

No, Ryan was jealous of Troy and Gabriella. Not because he liked Gabriella—he had his eye on someone else completely, but because of the open, trusting relationship the two shared. He wanted that so badly he almost told Kelsi how he felt. But then he realized that she could reject him, so he kept his mouth shut.

Still, he couldn't help wishing.


	11. Knight

**Prompt: Knight**

**Word Count: 100**

...

"W-I-L-D, Wildcats!"

"West High Knights!"

"Go, T-E-A-M, team!"

_Bzzz._ The final buzzer rang, and the score was 89-88. West High had won. Kelsi watched from the bleachers as Troy shook his head in disbelief. It was the last game of junior year, and the Wildcats had lost.

It didn't seem fair—she'd seen the team practice, and they were good. Very good. But not good enough.

Suddenly, Kelsi realized that this was how Ryan and Sharpay must have felt after the Musicale auditions. They were good—but not good enough.

And she felt a stab of guilt for betraying them.


	12. Game

**Prompt: Game**

**Word Count: 150**

...

Ryan was fed up with Sharpay's antics. First, his sister had invited Troy—and, unintentionally, the rest of the Wildcats—to work at Lava Springs for the summer. That was okay, because he got to see Kelsi more. Then, there was the whole golf course thing. He forgave her for that, because Sharpay was his twin sister and she deserved some pardons, right? But then she'd stolen Kelsi's song, and he'd gotten replaced by Troy. That was the last straw.

He'd snapped. He quit. He'd gone over to the Dark Side, according to his sister. No matter how it was worded, he was completely, absolutely _done_.

He knew what Sharpay was like; he knew she would do anything to win the Star Dazzle Award. But she'd hurt too many people in the process already.

And this time, he didn't want to be a pawn in the game she was playing.


	13. Song

**Prompt: Song**

**Word Count: 150**

**AN: I know we're not supposed to have song lyrics in our fics, but I don't know if four lines count...**

...

_Everyday_

_Of our lives_

_Wanna find you there_

_Wanna hold on tight_

Kelsi smiled, pleased at how the new song was coming along. This was _the song_—the song that would get Troy and Gabriella back together, the song that would ruin Sharpay's plan to win the Midsummer's Night Talent Show, the song that would restore order to Lava Springs. She still couldn't believe that she and Ryan had been given the huge responsibility of actually writing it.

"How's it going?" Ryan asked, sliding next to her on the piano bench. "Sorry, I kind of got held up at dinner tonight."

"It's great," Kelsi said. "So, we're clear on what to do tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

The next night, their plan was put into action. "Everyday" was everything they'd expected it to be.

Except one thing. It also turned out to be the song that won Ryan the Star Dazzle Award.


	14. Gift

**Prompt: Gift**

**Word Count: 100**

...

It was December 25th, and Kelsi had received lots of presents—from her parents, from friends at school, from distant relatives. She'd smiled and thanked everyone politely, but there was a certain hollowness in her expression. They'd forgotten again.

She carefully unwrapped Ryan Evans's gift, smoothing out the wrapping paper to reveal a designer newsboy cap, one she'd never be able to afford. She read the attached card, smiling to herself.

_Dear Kels,_

_Hope you have a happy sweet sixteen!_

_Your friend, Ryan_

He was the only one, besides her parents, who had remembered that Kelsi was a Christmas baby.


	15. Spellbound

**Prompt: Spellbound**

**Word Count: 150**

**AN: It's a little different from the usual; please tell me how you like it!**

...

It wasn't often that Kristi was impressed by a high school play—one of the reasons she'd gotten her job. But as she watched the actors onstage at East High School, notebook and pen in hand, she had to admit—East High's drama club was not bad at all.

When it was over, she glanced at her notes. The dances were exquisite, the acting flawless, and the songs brilliant. She didn't remember a time when she had been absolutely spellbound by a high school musical.

She had one scholarship to give tonight, and flipping through her notes once more, she realized she hadn't written a single word about the music. The music—not the songs, but the music—had webbed and flowed so seamlessly she hadn't even noticed. Only the best background music went unnoticed.

Then she knew. Their composer would be getting a full ride to Juilliard next fall.


	16. Album

**Prompt: Album**

**Word Count: 150**

...

Kelsi found the album when she was looking through her things. Her mother had suggested that she catalogue a few of the items she would be taking to Juilliard with her, and the old cloth-bound book had been sitting underneath a pile of laundry.

She'd opened it, and the pages, though a little yellowed, were filled with pictures and handwritten notes. She recognized her mother's neat penmanship and her father's messier scrawl. There were wedding pictures and baby pictures, birthday pictures and vacation pictures, which led up until Kelsi's fifth-grade year, when they bought a digital camera.

One photo in particular caught her attention. A little blond boy and a smaller brunette girl, both wearing hats and large grins on their faces, playing on the elementary school's slide. The caption read:

_Ry and Kels: best friends forever, fourth grade_

Kelsi smiled wryly as she thought how ironic that statement was.


	17. Why?

**Prompt: Why?**

**Word Count: 100**

**AN: Remember, HSM3 never happened in this, okay?**

...

It was just one sentence. Seven little measly words strung together with a question mark at the end. Will. You. Go. To. Prom. With. Me?

He'd practiced it, in front of the bathroom mirror at home. He said it softly, then loudly, then romantically. He thought about singing it to her in a song, he thought about writing it with Hershey's Kisses on the music room wall.

Then he caught sight of her, and he couldn't do it—he just couldn't. Why, he asked himself. Why, _why_ couldn't he muster up the courage to ask Kelsi to their senior prom?


	18. Pride

**Prompt: Pride**

**Word Count: 150**

...

Kelsi stood in the East High quad for what she realized would be the last time, full of nostalgia as a student. The graduation ceremony had just ended, and she was still in her cap and gown, clutching her yearbook in one hand and a Sharpie in the other. Troy and Sharpay, as usual, were surrounded by adoring admirers asking for a signature and a hug.

"Hey, playmaker," Troy called, dashing off a quick "Have a great summer! From Troy" to whoever was in his way. "Come on, sign my yearbook." He shoved the red-and-white bound book in her face playfully. Kelsi smiled and wrote a few lines. She found herself looking wistfully in the direction of Sharpay and Ryan, but caught herself staring.

Kelsi wasn't about to beg Ryan Evans to sign her yearbook. She had her pride, thank you very much.

But it _was_ nice when he offered.


	19. Take My Hand

**Prompt: Take My Hand**

**Word Count: 150**

**AN: These last two aren't really Ryelsi, just a little backstory on what happened with Ryan before _Only You_.**

...

"Please, Eternity," Ryan pleaded. "Just take my hand. You're not going to die." He reached his hand out and the girl he was auditioning with grasped it, waiting a few seconds after the scene ended before breaking character.

"Mmhmm, yes," the casting director murmured, jotting down a few comments in his notebook. "Thank you. You may go, Emily. Ryan, please stay. We'll have you do this scene with someone else again."

Ryan didn't mention that he'd already done the same scene with seven different partners. After all, if he really wanted this role, he had to work for it. He sighed and repositioned himself before the director. A new girl came in and he started again, brimming with raw emotion.

"Please, Eternity. Just take my hand. You're not going to die."

Little did he know the passion he'd poured into his eighth "take my hand" would change his life forever.


	20. Dawn

**Prompt: Dawn**

**Word Count: 100**

...

The call came at dawn. Ryan's cell phone, which was charging on the hotel nightstand, rang at full volume.

"Turn it _awff_," Sharpay whined, half-asleep, from under the covers. Ryan reluctantly opened his eyes and answered it.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"This is Miles," his new agent said. "I called because you got the role."

"What?" Ryan yawned.

"You're Lucas. Remember to stop by my place later for details. That's it," Miles said, hanging up with a _click_.

"No way…" Ryan said disbelievingly. "Shar—I got the part!"

The squeal that followed was loud enough to wake the entire hotel.


End file.
